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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26619499">missing piece</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mblay/pseuds/mblay'>mblay</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Gotham (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Bad Ending, Hurt, I Made Myself Cry, M/M, Post-Episode: s05e11 They Did What?, Suicide</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:08:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,351</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26619499</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mblay/pseuds/mblay</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After all those years Ed had finally found it, the missing piece to his puzzle.<br/>But keeping it had not been granted to him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Oswald Cobblepot/Edward Nygma</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>missing piece</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Wanted to try writing angst after being inspired by the Nygmbobblepot Haven Discord and well, this is what I ended up with.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ed stood in the doorway, the officer in front of him still speaking to him. There were no words though, no way to make out what the police man told him. He had blanked out after the first few sentences, only seeing his mouth moving, but no sound reached him. There was only an endless emptiness, static noise ringing in his ears.</p><p>Ten years of his life had been wasted, but maybe they were necessary to shape the rest of it. Ed had more than enough time to reflect in his dark cell in Arkham, the screams of the insane keeping him awake deep into the night. It had taken him way too long but there he found into his true self, figured out the hardest puzzle that had ever presented itself to him.</p><p>His feelings for Oswald, admitting to himself that it had been love all along. All this time he had been in love with him and had ruined all those moments that could have made his life better, that would have drawn him closer to his other half. Ed himself had kept away the love he had always strived for. The missing piece of the puzzle that fit into his heart.</p><p>It had not been lost though, the love still burning bright inside of him, ready to be given. To gift it to Oswald, the man fate had bounded him together with.</p><p>For once life had been beautiful, all the struggle and sadness left behind in the past where it belonged. Reunited after getting out of Blackgate and Arkham, after all those years he finally got his new beginning, his chance to start over. And this time he swore to himself that he would not let it slip – could not let it slip. His life depended on it, his whole future put into Oswald’s hands.</p><p>And what a future it had been. Ed had not been a coward, quickly showed his true feelings to Oswald before it had been too late. He was afraid that the other did not want to receive them anymore, that he would be mad for him locking away their chance for true love for so long.</p><p>That was a mere thought as the real reaction had nothing to do with hate, nothing to do with bad feelings carried over from the past. Oswald had been so excited, happier than Ed had ever seen him before. He had been crying, holding onto Ed like he was his raft on the wide-open sea. His lifeline.</p><p>From there one they were bound together, sealed by fate. Nothing could come between these two lovebirds, reliving their teenager years as they dove straight into their innocent fresh love.</p><p>And what a love it was. Every shy kiss, every touch felt like Ed had been aching for it his whole life. It felt simply right. Like it was meant to be this way all this time.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The sentences were still floating around in his head, occupying it.</p><p>
  <em>There had been a shooting in a warehouse.</em>
</p><p>That was nothing to worry about. Even with Batman trying to keep them in chains the true kings of this city still were the villains, Riddler and Penguin reigning together at the very top, hand in hand. As a couple they were twice as powerful, nobody else being able to hold a candle to them.</p><p>
  <em>Oswald had been involved.</em>
</p><p>This also was not that big of a deal. They often got themselves into situations getting out of hand, gun fights and altercations being a part of their everyday life by now. Both of them were too smart, too witty to be ever in danger by such an ordinary thing. Living a life of crime, it was normal to come into contact with such happenings.</p><p>
  <em>Witnesses saw how he was shot and sank to the floor.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He died on the scene.</em>
</p><p>After all this time, after all that had happened between them and others. After dying more than once, being crushed again and again and always rising back to the top, this was what would kill him?</p><p>A bullet.</p><p>A simple fucking bullet.</p><p>Oswald had always been smarter than everybody else, checkmating them before they even saw it coming. And still this is how it ended. This ordinary bullet had brought him to his end.</p><p>Ed shakingly shut the door, closing himself off from the officer. He wanted to be alone now, needed the silence.</p><p>Tears were streaming down his face, obscuring his view. Pained sobs escaped his lips, echoing through the empty hallway.</p><p>Empty.</p><p>The house was empty without Oswald, having been theirs together. Ed was used to seeing him always around, bringing him a cup of coffee to bed every morning to get him started for the day. See his sweet grumpy face soften as he took his first sip from the cup, stealing a kiss from Ed as a wordless thank you. Every single day.</p><p>He was empty without Oswald. His sweet little bird had occupied his heart, filling the empty gap that had pained him ever since growing up. Something always had hurt him but Oswald had finally made him whole, made his melancholy disappear.</p><p>With shaky hands he grabbed the gun laying on the coffee table.</p><p>It had been Oswald’s. He always kept it around for safety, just in case. It had been the first gun he had acquired himself and he still was proud of it, polished it every week to keep it shiny.</p><p>Now its barrel pressed against Ed’s temple, the cold metal burning on his skin.</p><p>Oswald had made him what he was, shaped him into the Riddler.</p><p>Without him he was no more.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Badly injured, the blood seeping through his shirt, he crawled up the stairs to the mansion.</p><p>Getting into a shooting on accident Oswald had been hit quite severely, the open wound gaping on his stomach. Ed had saved him more than once though and he believed that even this time he would nurse him back to health, make everything alright again. He had a vast medical knowledge and Oswald knew that he could survive with his help, look into their future together.</p><p>Strained he reached for the door, pushing it open.</p><p>It was so silent. No sign of life left in the house.</p><p>Probably Ed was just absorbed into a book, like so often. If he was concentrated on the pages in front of him, he would often be gone for hours, caught inside his own mind.</p><p>Weakly Oswald called out for him as loud as his voice could still handle, but no one answered.</p><p>He had to hurry, make himself known. Make Ed notice him and save him before it was too late, make him quickly treat his wounds.</p><p>With his last strength he pulled himself into his home and that was when he saw it.</p><p>Ed laying on the floor, pistol in his slack hand. The wound gaping in his head, his brain spilling onto the carpet. A puddle of blood seeping into it.</p><p>No. No. No.</p><p>That could not be real. This had to be a cruel hallucination. A trick of his mind.</p><p>Slowly he made his way over to him, running his hands over him in disbelief.</p><p>He hoped they would just go through him, dissolve the fata morgana. But they did not. He could feel Ed’s body under them, slack and motionless. He was still warm.</p><p>Crying and weak he pressed himself against him, laying his head on Ed’s chest like he did every night in bed. Grabbing his arm, he pulled it around him, the same position as when he drifted into sleep.</p><p>Close to him. But now there was no beating heart to hear, no chest rising and falling soothingly under him with Ed’s breath. No life left inside of him.</p><p>Closing his eyes Oswald inhaled Ed’s scent deeply, giving him a feeling of safety. He was here with him until the end. By his side. Not even death would do them part.</p><p>And with that he took his last breath.</p><p> </p><p>Oh what have you done?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm sorry and actually made myself cry while writing this, I guess this is my fair punishment for bringing this into existence.<br/>After finishing my main fic I'm gonna write some fluff to balance this out, I promise!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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